State Money Flows into Hopkinton; Schools see a Boost

Town Manager Elaine Lazarus recently announced that various departments at Town Hall had applied for and received several state grants over the past few months. The funds are earmarked for a variety of services aimed at addressing climate change, food insecurity, traffic improvement and public works projects. The total amount of grants received and state budget earmarks is more than $436,000.

Lazarus provided a readout of the grants along with commentary.

• $1,500 from the MetroWest Food Collaborative Steering Committee to Senior Services for the purchase of gift cards, which furthers the goal of dignity in food choice for older adults.
• $50,552 from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, for regulation and bylaw review for climate change adaptation and nature based solutions. The project includes bylaw/regulation review, outreach, data gathering and coordination with stakeholders and residents. The project is managed by the Principal Planner.
• $100,400 from MassDOT’s Local Bottleneck Reduction Program for traffic signal improvements at West Main Street & School Street, West Main Street & South Street, and West Main Street & Lumber Street intersections. The Hopkinton Dept. of Public Works will manage the project.
• $6,000 Preservation Assessment Grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to the Hopkinton Public Library. A consultant will look at the Library’s Local History Collection and assess preservation needs. The Public Library will manage this project.
• $35,000 from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council for capacity building for a Climate Action Plan. The project will engage the community and includes open house workshops, training events, and other activities. The Town’s Sustainability, Economic Development and Equity Project Manager is managing this project.
• $110,000 from the State’s Community Compact Efficiency & Regionalization program, shared by Hopkinton, Southborough and Westborough. This will address critical infrastructure challenges by implementing a comprehensive drainage/sewer pipe inspection and maintenance project. A crawler camera for pipe inspection will be purchased and shared by the communities. The Hopkinton DPW will manage this project.

Lazarus also noted that the Hopkinton Cultural Council received $8,300 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in FY24 for support of the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences which promote access, education, diversity and excellence for residents.

Separately, State Representative James Arena-DeRosa recently voted in the affirmative to pass the $58 billion FY25 state budget, which included earmarks for Hopkinton.

“This budget is a fiscally responsible approach to investing in key areas such as food security, education, healthcare, childcare, transportation, and workforce development” said Arena-DeRosa. “Renewing universal school meals and the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants, as well as making community college and regional busses free for all Bay Staters are targeted investments that will help support the families and workforce of Massachusetts.”

Arena-DeRosa also lobbied for two local initiatives that made it in to the final budget, which include $50,000 for cultural proficiency programs in Hopkinton public schools and $75,000 for Project Just Because, Hopkinton’s regional food bank.

Hopkinton Public Schools will see a massive influx in state aid due to increased Chapter 70 funding in the FY25 budget, with the minimum per pupil aid increasing 246% from $30 to $104. Chapter 70 funding is the primary mechanism through which the Commonwealth provides financial support to public elementary and secondary schools. This program is designed to ensure that every school district has the necessary resources to provide an adequate education to its students, regardless of the wealth of the local community.

In total, Arena-DeRosa worked to secure more than $28 million in Chapter 70 funding for schools in his district and $4.4 million in unrestricted general government aid was secured for local town services.